In recent years significant advances have been made in the art of data collection terminals and networks containing the same.
In U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0171745, a data collection terminal is described having a bar code reading device which is in communication with a remote computer. The bar code reading terminal sends image data and associated bar code data to a remote computer. In one combined bar code/image data transmission scheme described in the above patent application publication decoded bar code message data identifying a parcel is stored within an open byte header location of an image file including an image representation of the parcel. In U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0171745, an image data file in .PDF, .TIF, or .BMP file format is created at a data collection terminal which includes an image representation of a decoded bar code message and an image representation of the package including the bar code encoding the decoded message. In U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0132292, a data collection terminal is described having a data collection terminal including a bar code reading device, an RFID reading device, a mag stripe data reading device, a chip card reading device, and a fingerprint reading device. The terminal is coupled to a network, which is configured to facilitate financial transactions involving data collected utilizing the various reading devices.
As significant as the above developments are, shortcomings have been noted with the operation of presently available data collection terminals and the systems in which they are incorporated. For example with continual up featuring of data collection terminals, data collection terminals have become increasingly difficult to use. While data collection terminals may have a plurality of available functions users of such devices find it difficult or practically impossible to access all of the functions incorporated in the devices that they operate. For example, configuring a radio transceiver of a data collection terminal to operate within a specific network has become a daunting task and one that involves a selection of tens of users' selectable options. As a result, users of data collection terminals have been observed to delay or avoid the process of configuring terminal radio transceivers for operation in a specific network and instead operate their terminals in long periods of time in batch mode or serial hardwire connection mode for long periods of time in spite of the availability of wireless connectivity.
A problem with reconfiguring certain types of data collection terminals such as hand held data collection terminals is their small size. Configuration setting screens on data collection terminals are sometimes difficult to view on account of being of small size. The smallness of keyboard buttons and other user interface buttons such as pointer controllers on certain types of data collection terminals also makes the setting of configuration parameter settings with such terminals difficult.
While some attempts to use a spaced apart computer with a larger keyboard and display screen for configuration of a data collection terminal have significantly simplified the task of reconfiguring a data collection terminal, other reconfiguration methods involving use of a computer spaced apart from a data collection terminal have been noted to be time consuming and have also been noted to result in entry errors.
A known method of configuring a data collection terminal uses a general purpose computer to create or edit a text based configuration file containing parameters for each device or program the user desires to configure. A common type of text file used to configure devices and programs is the “.INI file” format. The .INI file format was developed by MICROSOFT, Inc for use in configuring WINDOWS operating system and other programs running on a WINDOWS platform. However, developers have been observed to use the .INI file format for other configuration applications running on WINDOWS platforms. Generally, an .INI file will contain a somewhat organized list of parameter settings that are encoded as “key values.” Elements of a data pair, e.g., the key and key value encoding one or more parameter settings, may be separated by a predetermined character such as an equal sign (“=”). If the key value comprises a plurality of values, individual elements may be separated by, for example, a comma. Data pairs may be separated by a predetermined character such as a return character. Further, data pairs may be organized into sections based on a system or sub-system relevant to the data pair. Such configuration files are typically created and edited using a general text editor (e.g., WORDPAD or NOTEPAD).
To prepare an .INI file a user must be familiar with the various available configuration parameter settings, their permissible values, and be willing to hunt through a list of data pairs to identify those data pairs that relate to settings of interest. Once completed the .INI file is transferred to the data collection terminal over a communication path. When residing at a data collection terminal parameter settings encoded in the .INI file may be accessed by a program of the data collection terminal.
In many cases, to adequately provision a data collection terminal for operations, not only do parameters settings need to be set, but certain files, such as applications and databases, need to be transferred and stored on the data collection terminal. In the past, such transfers were manually handled using an OS related synchronization software, such as MICROSOFT ACTIVESYNC for the WINDOWS MOBILE OS. In general a user would queue up each file (typically by dragging and dropping each file into a predetermined folder) for transfer and executing an active sync (in the case of WINDOWS MOBILE). According to a known method for sending files to a data collection terminal an active sync can be executed for each file to be transferred. Also, several files can be included in a single CAB file (.CAB) file and a .CAB file can be transferred to a data collection terminal using an active sync.
There is a need for further advances in data collection terminals and systems in which they are connected.